Archive for the ‘the Nerdery’ Category

Around this time of year just about every website ad nausea , roll out the their top ten or twenty horror films to join in the over crowded recommendation pile. So we at Thoughts on Cinema might as well join in. Below are eight carefully selected suggestions to binge all night long. To help in the order to watch them, there is a fear meter under : Scary fun-frights with a few laughs, Downright Disturbing- well done but uncomfortable subject matter, Chiller Suspense -moments of creepiness and mystery and old school classic - refined horror at its best.

If you don’t see the usual suspects like the Exorcist or the Shining, it was left off mainly because their already “go to” favorites everywhere else online, going to try some curve balls here and there. So get ready with your Netflix or illegally favorite torrent site, get that burnt popcorn going and see what nightmares are really made of.

Diabolique (1955)

Forget the remake with Sharon Stone, watch the french version instead. An abused wife and neglected mistress murders husband, only to find the body missing later and peculiar occurrences plaguing both women.{ Chiller Suspense}

Phantasm (1979)

Mausoleums, flying finger monsters, the tall man, spheres that drill into your head and killer dwarfs from another dimensions, What does it all mean, I haven’t a clue but this is the most original horror fantasy at that time and even now. { Scary fun}

Fiend without a face (1958)

The usual mishaps of science experiments gone way wrong.One of the few Sci-fi with a creepy feel to it. The appearances of the creatures once invisible is especially high on the eek meter.{old school classic}

Martyrs (2008)

Child abuse escalating into violent vengeance, which leads to something even worse. One of the few horror films that actually perturbed me. This is not for the squeamish.{ Downright Disturbing }

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Forget its low budget minimalist leanings, it actually works in its favor. Woman survives a drag racing accident that kills her friends, but the trauma has left her feeling disconnected to things and seeing strange figures that are not there. The atmosphere of unease permeates from scene to scene. { old school classic .}

The Descent (2005)

How dangerous could cave expedition be, our women explorers are about to find out, Oh yeah there is something down there alright. { Scary fun}

Noroi: The Curse(2005)

A found footage that actually has a story to it, this Japanese import deals with a paranormal documentarian investigating a case which in terms leads to his disappearance. The events are put together by the film evidence left behind. After awhile the unraveling tale creates a thick sense of dread to it. {Chiller Suspense }

From Beyond (1986)

Based 0n H.P. lovecraft ‘s short story. A machine called a Resonator is made to stimulate the human pineal gland, giving the person to perceive and enter another dimension where all sorts of big and small critters lurk. When the apparatus goes out of control…. well you can see for yourself. { Scary fun}

Halloween comes twice a year in New York, so if you wander upon a horde fantastical creatures and maidens, strolling down the avenue, take notice that comic con has arrived. A four day event filled with memorabilia vendors, nerd dating services, video movie hawkers and cos play shows. There is so much shit to keep every nerd fetishes entertain for days, and unless your focused on a particular subject, the entire experience can be overwhelming, even frustrating as you try to navigate between shows and seminars. Best to download the comic con app and plan accordingly before you go.

Some snippets of NYCC

Animal planet: Finding Bigfoot

A reality show that really has nothing to do with reality, but certainly has a hard core following, at least with audience I was with. The panel talked a bit with the fans after the presentation. Ranae Holland with a manly handshake is the resident skeptic, although she seems to be pseudo critical, as if it’s just a performance act for the masses. On the other hand Cliff Barack man seem generally enthusiastic about the subject even has a calling card he gave out. I asked about about the onslaught of bigfoot videos on Youtube, and if it hampers any serious research about it, Barack hasn’t an issue with it, the plus side that it keeps the subject going in the public eye.

Breaking into Comics right now:

For those that dream about it, the title alone said it all. Some quick notes, research company, eight page write up with drawings. Avatar comic might be something to look into. Web comics are another option. All in all, just hook up with some like minded individual, pull talents together. One novice artist was looking for a writing partner and more than a few (including myself) volunteered. who said networking doesn’t work.

NYCC Thursday night kick off:

Everyone was on their game except Janeane Garofalo, she seems to wander in without an act.

Meanwhile at the fortress of Solitude……….

Star wars rebels: the might of the empire:

Full house on this panel, but what did you expect when it comes to this particular series, a quick design glimpse for ravenous fans.

CBLDF: The Secret origins of Comic Censorship!

A little history taught by scholar Carol Tilley…….

True blood with Kristin Bakers and Lauren Bowles:

Still wonder why the show was on this long, although the actresses were engaging.

Your opinion sucks! Rotten Tomatoes Critics Vs Fan:

Possibly the biggest disappointment, less of a in depth discussion about the value on film criticisms and its relevance today. Instead the panel dialed it down to what sucks or didn’t suck. Did speak with Owen Gleibman of Entertainment Weekly about the saturation of Internet critics on line, he felt it wasn’t a problem to his position, and counted himself lucky to make a successful career of it.

Director Sam Mendes is up at bat in this 23nd go round with Britain’s greatest spy James Bond. This time the theme of betrayal and abandonment permeates in the background. Mendes have visited the subject before in Road to Perdition. In that movie a mob father’s doubtful faith in his son makes a crucial decision with disastrous results, (interestingly enough starring Danial Craig). In Skyfall the Bureau chief M ( a take no prisoner Judi Dench) also makes a sacrificial call that nearly cost Bond his life. Rethinking his priorities about the unit and especially M herself, James takes a long sabbatical away from the agency.
He’s forced back in operation when a hard-drive disk containing information of secret operatives under cover is stolen, threatening a shut down of the organization and M’s forced retirement. Coming back into the spy game has James a bit rusty in his usual physical skills as well as failing psychological sessions especially childhood memories of something called Skyfall, leaving doubts from intelligence and security head, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) , but confidence from M about the ability to handle said mission. The person responsible is Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) , a rogue agent ( Shades of Goldeneye! ). Decked out in blond hair and suited white tux and a bit of effeminate style, probably the most interesting Bond villain in quite awhile. No global megalomaniac like Goldfinger Or Blofield, no; this is somebody hurt physically and emotionally. The screenplay pulls a sense of homo-eroticism between Bond and Silva, where he massages the captured agent’s injuries in a gentle manner, Challenging perceptions of Bond’s masculine sexuality, subtlety planting the possibility he would fuck for Queen and country regardless of gender.

Throughout the film, questionable decisions by M both past and present propels the plot of the story, in some way these events are more about M than Bond, but Mendes made sure he gives a heaping shitload of baggage for just about everybody involved.

Craig continues to impress as Bond, a steely visage coupled with a not so pretty face, more of a street thug than GQ Pierce Brosnan was. No humor retorts for this spy, it recalls the attempt of Timothy Dalton’s take on a serious 007 decades ago.

The cinema photography by Roger Deakins is possibly the most gorgeous looking yet in the whole franchise. In one sequence Bond fights an adversary, silhouetted behind glass walls with neon lights in the background, the glowing shadows creates visual beauty to the choreography. Another is the lair of the villain, not a opulent palace of wonder, but some island or scow adrift in the sea, Its decayed and muddling look is a nice contrast to the usual hideouts.

There’s enough eye- winking references to earlier films of Bond, especially to the Sean Connery era, if anything in a retroactive or quasi alternative universe, this film actually is actually the first official start of the series…and that is fine by me.

“Vampirella; a Playboy magazine!” said sarcastically by one of the older kids on the block, as I tried shielding the cover from judgmental g eyes. There were other published anthologies such as “Creepy” and “Eerie”, both had a fair share of nudity and violence, mashed with horror genre, but the Vampirella issues at least in the early ones seem to have a more emphasis on women be it as victims or perpetrators in the stories.

With cover like that how could I resist

She was the brain child of the great Forry Ackerman, creator of the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. The basic origin was that Vampi was the sole survivor of a planet of vampires, where rivers once flowing with blood was slowly drying up. She escapes on a manned rocket-ship back to earth where she befriends a drunken washed up magician named Pendragon. Taking a serum that curves her blood-lust and pursued and later befriended by a new generation of Van Helsings, each story would deal with her battles with a cult called Chaos and other dark forces.

The legendary Archie Goodwin would take on the writing chores later and perfected the twist ending to her twelve page adventures. Arguably these were the quintessential version, short as they were, it had a breezy quickness that hit the points it wanted to make. No heavy handed plot to detract its concise narrative. Of course the stories wouldn’t have half the impact if not for Jose “Pepe” Gonzalez great artistic rendition of the the title character. Coming in at issue # 12, the makeover created a stunning siren, seductive, sexually chaste without the nymph prancing nature of her more active half sister of the sci-fi film Barbarella, of which Forry semi-christened our gal her name.

In the years to come, Vampi would be reinterpreted by other publications, whether manga styled or superhero horror, concepts that will continually evolve for every generations.

Before Ripley, Xena, or Buffy, she was the first female ass kicker of fantasy horror genre.

By the way ignore the Roger Corman film Vampirella, the campy approach and low (low) budget is an injustice to the idea of the original, in other words it sucks.

Lethal Weapons: Tony Stark made a bold statement on drone protection, unfortunately it winced from committing to a resolution on Homeland protection with fireworks and a rainbow ending in Iron Man 3.

Having faced intergalactic terrorism that created incalculable casualties and leveled NYC, Iron Man 3 examined how the constant daily threat to the homeland has taken its toll on Tony Stark’s psyche as his nightmares have become reality and unless he can come up with an answer, he might find himself unprepared in coming face to face with newest threat to national security in the Mandarin. Directed by Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black, his third act served as a looking glass where the POV of Tony Stark and the love of his life Pepper Potts are juxtaposed with two different takes in the post 9/11 world. From Tony’s perspective, life can never go back to normal. The threat will always be there and so he will continue to build and build his drone weaponry in a bomb shelter under his Malibu home. From Pepper’s perspective, life went on uninterrupted, business as usual and the battle for NYC on TV was so polarizing the extraterrestrial attack might as well have taken place someplace in Bangladesh. Unfortunately for Pepper, Tony brought the threat home the minute he taunted The Mandarin, a shadowy fiend who has a knack for being one step ahead of the US military. Similar to Kiss, Kiss Bang Bang, director Shane Black expertly used the narrative to keep Tony Stark’s thoughts connected to the story as each subsequent event unfolded. As a result, Tony Stark became a more evolved, stronger complex character but unfortunately his armor did not make that transition. In the first two films, the arc reactor technology was what separated Tony from his competitors to turn suits of armor into the next weapon of mass destruction. Why did Tony move away from the technology that was so sought after? Why did he accept a replacement that had him running out of power constantly through out the movie. Why didn’t Tony utilize the Iron Army when his prototype armor malfunctioned as the siege on his house was being laid? Or when he needed to infiltrate the villain’s lair? How come Tony’s Bluetooth to Jarvis never ran out of power but his suits constantly malfunctioned? How come all of his suits show no variation in weaponry? How did one of the villains figure out how to pilot the Iron Patriot suit without all the passwords and more importantly how was it remote controlled without Tony or Rhodey’s input? Why does Extremis make human beings heat up and why can’t Tony remember he unlocked the genetic equation? As dynamic as the sets and stunt work were, the cost was creating quite a few plot holes that any Iron Man fan can point out without working up a sweat. That said, Iron Man 3 was a thrill ride with one too many plot twists but it’s not for comic book fans familiar with the Five Nightmares, Demon, and Extremis. For that reason, I must rate Iron Man 3, a lite beer that won’t hurt you to see but definitely won’t leave much of a lasting impression as the Summer Blockbusters continue to come off the assembly line.

Director John Badham Romanizes up the count in this adaption of Dracula. Loosely adhering to the novel by Bram Stoker, Count Dracula ( Frank langella) arrives from Transylvania to England to settle some property affairs where he is taken by the somewhat Goth sounding Lucy Seward( a fetching Kate Nelligan) , during a dinner party held by her by father Jack Seward (Donald Pleasence). Despite the tragic events to parade later on, the batwings…I mean the sparks fly as Dracula and a very willing Lucy engage in a romantic interlude, despite her involvement with Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve). All this leads up to Abraham Van Helsing (Lawrence Olivier) to question the nature of the count while investigating his daughter’s mysterious death. Suspicions are later confirmed and the battle for Lucy’s soul becomes paramount.

By far the production is done well and the actors are on point, practically Langella being such a sexy beast. Olivier doesn’t fare as well; his Van Helsing is a cackling character. He spews his dialogue in overly done accent, which reveals more ham acting than acting. Badham updates the tone of the film to be more modern in tempo, there’s actually a chase scene by horse driven wagon and car that would seem reminiscent of 70’s cop movies than a horror or a gothic romance flick. The love sequence is another forced scene, with the principle characters is silhouetted against a reddish background, while a bat flaps in and out of the picture. Add John William’s over ripe score and the mixture seems slightly contrived not organic. What’s missing is the lustful eroticism of the Hammer films that dealt with the same subject; this seems tame, not bad by any stretch, but not as hot as it could have been.

A dedicated but scrawny and sickly Steve Rogers (Chris Evans rebooted from the Fantastic Four) agrees to go through an experimental serum that would transform him into the Iconic, flag waving Captain America. Another in the never ending stable of superhero adaptation for the geek squad

Cap is the counterpoint to the evil Red Skull, played in cackling 101 Nazi-ness by Hugo Weaving.

The film jets back and forth between Captain being used as a prop to sell war bonds, all the while the Skull develops weapons of mass destruction, and trying to tap into the power of a rubic shaped cosmic cube, imbued with the powers of the Gods (Don’t ask).

The military and especially Colonel Chester Phillip (Tommy Lee Jones phoning this one in from his sleep) have doubts and trepidation about losing their lab rat Captain to the front lines, But help by boring love interest Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and a suave Millionaire inventor Howard Stark ( father of Tony Stark’s Iron man), fly Rogers into enemy territory where he rescues friend Bucky Barnes ( Sebastian Stan) as well as hundreds of other military prisoners, proving he’s more than a road show commercial. This pushes the evitable confrontation to come between Captain America and the Red Skull.

Sounds good on paper, but on film, not much to cheer about.

Director Joe Johnston seems clueless in how to make a memorable battle, Action scenes are stitched together with no rhythm, and its all run, punch, leap, surrounded by a background of things exploding. The hero’s trademark speeches of American values while kicking ass, is muted for political correctness for the international film market. He’s just a guy in blue tights that just wants to help out.

Hugo Weaving doesn’t fair much better as the Red Skull, with old school villainy and no dynamic personality to really make him interesting, the trick relies on selling the trademark disfigurement as a makeup gimmick to keep you from not being bored and even that carries no weight, unlike the horrid visage of Nolan’s Two- face from The Dark night. It’s simply a marketing mask for this year’s Halloween.

Probably the biggest issue is Chris Evans as the titled character, he’s plain as un-buttered toast, the Captain is so bland, as to being nonexistent, and in some ways the film is simply a prelude to the video game, although from what I heard, it wasn’t much better.

1. DC Comics places ALL its hopes on Scott Snyder to restore Superman to prominence:

Canceling DC Nation to 2013, Putting American Vampire on hiatus after the next few issues…it’s clear DC is putting ALL hands on deck to put their A-list property back on track. I wonder if that’s even possible? We’re such a cynical society, we can never believe someone with absolute power can be for us. Maybe it’s not the writers who can’t get Superman but the comic book fans?

2. Doesn’t matter if something is good, so long as it makes you happy:

Some of the stupidest systems for signings (Thurs you were supposed to get wrist bands at Marvel or DC that were not guaranteed on unless you had VIP tickets for $700) that allowed for scalpers to get signings and then SELL their bands afterwards…it was so bad, Robert Kirkman HAD to apologize for the lines at the Image panel and would seek a BETTER system at Image table next year. That did not deter a 17 year old girl who was a fan of Brian K. Vaughn from suffering in a line for 1hr 45 min to get ONE book signed.

There’s a LOT of devout love for comic books at NYCC. Proven by the lack of movie star power from last year’s Con. The numbers INCREASED without hype of Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Cap 2, or Guardians of the Galaxy. This town LOVES comics.

3. Movies didn’t save comics, Comics will SAVE movies

Don’t take my word for it, take the word of Del Toro who will publish the Pacific Rim comic book as a means of fleshing out this world before his movie debuts. Legendary Pictures is wise to sign Grant Morrison, Matt Wagner, etc to their comics studio because it is inexpensive when you consider they can patent NEW franchises without having to pay royalties to DC as they did to produce: the Dark Knight trilogy, 300, Watchmen, and Man of Steel.

4. Video Game Industry will make the eyes of the world turn towards NYCC

You NEED a hook to bring people to the dance. Video games are so much more how interactivity of media influences youth that I am glad video games are a part of NYCC. It’s their funding that is continuing to make this con more successful and bigger every year. If only the crowd control and spacing of the Con was as much up to par.

5. Next Year’s Hopes and Dreams for NYCC

Can Peter Jackson bring some love to NYCC since his movie debuts in December? December is the new May for big films and I am shocked Hollywood would give the stink eye to NYC. Wait, this IS LA I can imagine it but how much of a stupid loss is it to ignore one of the hugest meccas for media on the planet? Something has gotta give, it’s WAY too open for someone to step in.

In October, Marvel is set to bid adieu to the creative teams on its titles before relaunching them with new creative teams. Fresh blood has been badly needed on all of Marvel’s titles. While it’s not a reboot, don’t bother trying to make any kind of connections from their predecessors. Case in point, Steve Rogers is from Brooklyn not Lower East Side of Manhattan. Still, I believe this is going to make huge waves in the industry.

At NYCC 2010 and 2011 DC stole the show with “Hold the Line” $2.99 books and DC relaunch. Fans were very receptive to DC’s panels because it addressed issues with cost and continuity but don’t tell that to Marvel comics. While there’s no question DC has made strides in closing the gap, Marvel is still top dog in the comic book business. I believe 2012 is where Marvel Strikes Back.

The business model of Marvel is, if we lower our prices it’s accepted that comic books don’t deserve to be treated with the same respect as art books at the MET or literature you pay on Amazon.com. It’s the Apple approach that they don’t want the total market but the best market. They never bothered to lower their prices from $3.99. They continue to market their characters. They know the value of new title as a prospect of new readers.

It’s Marvel’s mentality that continuity doesn’t matter so much as creating a new fresh take with an entry level once every 5-10 years. The formula works. Most hybrid geeks who spend their disposable income on video games, cartoons, movies, etc will likely buy a couple titles a week and just want a good story of their favorite character. That’s what Marvel is going after. And it works.

Drawing Lines: 2011 saw video game industry exert its muscle towering over the Comic book booths like skyline of NYC. The effect gives credence to hybrid geeks and nerds. Good or bad? Depends on your interests.

NYCC 2011 Retrospective Part 3: One Old Comic Book Fan’s Opinion by Ronald Hugh Pollock

For over thirty years, I’ve collected comic books. I spent my Summers at my aunt’s flat in Brookline, Boston during the late 70s to early 80s. My cousin Joey attended Boston College for undergrad and he took me to my first comic book store. I don’t remember the name of the first comic book store I stepped into with my cousin Joey. I remember the smell of stale newsprint and endless rows of comic books. Every thing felt old, worn, and faded. My first book bought by my cousin Joey in Boston. It was Wolverine #1 (limited series). I also bought Daredevil #183 and Invincible Iron Man #100.

Back in Detroit , I discovered a comic book store, Comic Kingdom was open a few blocks away from where I went to school. My routine was set after 2nd grade. I would walk and buy a slice at the local pizza parlor that had 5 inch thick bullet proof glass ceiling to floor, drop my money in the metal box, and then the slice would appear, go two doors down where iron bars covered the doors, windows of the shop and added Avengers, Batman, Superman, and Justice League of America to my reading list. The owner reeked of alcohol. Didn’t deter me, all I wanted was on those shelves. The stack of books I would buy for $5 would keep me entertained for days. Couldn’t wait for the next week. Over the years, the shops have changed but the routine remains the same. Today every Weds at 0800, I wait outside Midtown comics branch on Fulton Street to open for my books.

Star Power: Feeling a part of the Con is an integral part of the experience.

My first Comic Con cost $6. It had maybe 1-2 signings and vendors selling back issues, bootlegs to Japanese anime on bootleg that were on beta. VHS was more expensive and rare. Laser Discs were the most commercially successful at the time. There were very, very few women per 100 nerds and geeks. No “Cosplay” or costume play kids were in attendance. If you didn’t know better it was a retiree party with no music or pulse but zombies moving around from table to table with a few dollars to haggle.

Magic Carpet Ride: Wonder what would nerds and geeks would say today if they looked at what comic conventions were.

Times have definitely changed. Comic Cons are the modern day State Fair. They cater to the modern nerd or geeks, which are hybrids of the purists that I grew up with. Hybrids are like Midwesterners at a buffet table of geeks that spent their money on a percentage of interests. Video games, movies, TV shows, blu-ray, costumed dating games, and card games have eaten into the amount of disposable income available for comic book creators. In 10 yrs, I have to wonder if comic books will even be sold at these massive entertainment extravaganzas that are coming more like mini film festivals. No longer a convention for the socially inadequate, mainstreaming has embraced comic books and it’s marketed as something anyone and every one can feel perfectly normal. In a way, that takes away the intimate feelings the die hards enjoy. One wonders what will happen of the last remaining rag tag group of misfits?

Rock Stars: Celebs are unaccustomed to rabid NYers who like to challenge and interrogate the privileged. The expression on Doc’s face when a question asked, “What did you do as real jobs? (before you hit it big)” was priceless but when the audience isn’t into it, a panel fails to bring the audience into the conversation.

The best way for an old school comic collector is to share his experiences with friends old and new. It’s no longer how much you can buy, get for free, or exclusively share or own. It’s learning about how the new generation enjoyed their experiences to keep this oasis of fantasy.

Geek becomes sheik: Enjoying company and exchanging experiences, building memories is the BEST way to enjoy Comic con.

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Thoughts on Cinema is dedicated to film reviews. An uncompromising opinion on the intellectual, artistic, and entertainment value to the consumer. With rising ticket prices, we dedicate ourselves to present to you content regarding what you should or should not be viewing.
-Ronald H. Pollock Founder and Editor in Chief